Meetings
by Lilian the Fair
Summary: Lothiriel helps her cousin but afterwards she meets a certain person...


**Disclaimer:  
**_I own nothing, everything belongs to Mister Tolkien, who has created the wonderful fantasy story 'The Lord of the Rings'._

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Meetings

Faramir was exhausted. He had only just healed from his injuries and already he had to take over the duty's of his father. There had been no time to grief and no time to catch up with his friends and family. The lady Eowyn, whom he had met in the houses of healing was still in the same house, so he was able to spend some time with her, but it wasn't much.

The army of the West was expected back in a couple of days. So all the chambers had to be made ready for the new King. News had to be spread and food had to be found. War had just ended in Middle Earth, which meant that there was a shortage of food, even though people wanted to celebrate. Supplies had to be send to the army that was making his way back to the city. To make a long list short; the new steward had no time for himself.

That was until his uncle had stepped into the throne room of Minas Tirith, closely followed by the only princess in Gondor.

"Uncle… Lothiriel… " Faramir said, looking up from the papers he had been reading before the Prince of Dol Amroth had been announced, "To what do I owe this visit?"

It was not his uncle who answered him but his cousin, Lothiriel, "You've been working too hard and too long for someone who has only just recovered from the black breath, the healer orders you back to the houses of healing and my father is to take over your duties until the King returns, and maybe a little longer."

"But, Lothiriel, I have to do this. Uncle, I know you are most capable of making sure that everything goes alright, but…"

"No but, my lad, you need your rest," Imrahil said with a twinkle in his eyes, "Lothiriel will bring you to the houses of healing, and you are to remain there with him, Lothi, so that he won't escape back up to the citadel."

Faramir watched in utter confusion as his cousin made a small curtsy to her father before taking his hand. "Come on Faramir," she said softly with a slight smile on her face.

He could do nothing to disobey his favourite cousin so with a sigh he followed her to the houses of healing. As they were walking, no words were spoken but Faramir could see that Lothiriel was tired, grieved and anxious. This was not strange; her brothers had gone with the army of the West as representatives of Dol Amroth. He imagined that she had had little time to say farewell to them a second time. There had been word of the survivors; it seemed that all her three brothers had survived, but there had been no note if they were injured or not.

The memory if the arrival of his kin in Dol Amroth was still clear in his mind. He had been overjoyed to see some welcoming faces, who would not turn away immediately if you entered the room. His father had been like that ever since the news came that Boromir had died. Faramir had been surprised to see Lothiriel and her handmaiden with the group of soldiers. Later Imrahil had explained that he did not had the heart to leave her alone to rule of Dol Amroth. Now a close friend of the family was making sure that everything in the little Princedom went alright. It had been a joyous occasion, despite of the growing dark. The six members of the family (Imrahil, Elphir, Erchirion, Amrothos, Lothiriel and Faramir) had talked all night. About their fears and their grief for Boromir.

Yet ever since then Faramir had not been able to grief. War had started fully and he had been send to Osgiliath on a hopeless mission.

On March the fifteenth he had been revived by the new king. Slowly he had began to recover and the news of his father' death shook him hardly. Yet he had been able to tuck his emotions away; there was too much work to be done. He simply had no time to be grieving or ill. At the eighteenth of March the army of the West had set out, leaded by the soon-to-be King.

"Come on."

Without that the new Steward had noticed it they had reached the houses of healing. Lothiriel was leading him through the corridors as if it were her own home.

"Since when do you know the way here?" Faramir asked with a slight frown on his face. He had just remembered that he had forgotten to tell uncle something… ah well, his uncle was capable enough to rule Gondor for a while.

"I've been helping in the houses of healing ever since I arrived here, Faramir," his cousin said as she looked back to him, "Mother has taught me some basic healing skills before she died."

That was a fact that Faramir had forgotten in his busy times. Of course, Lothiriel's mother had been an excellent healer, yet she wasn't able to cure her own disease. Only 2 years ago she had died.

They entered a room in a far wing of the building, "Here we will not be disturbed," Lothiriel said with a grin as she closed the door behind her, locking it immediately.

Faramir looked at her in confusion. Yet his cousin did not meet his gaze and simply said while she pointed to a chair, "Sit down." With an almost unnoticeable shrug of his shoulder he did as he was told.

It was a pity that they had not seen the Lady Eowyn on their way into the houses. He would be glad to see her again, for it had been such a long time ago. Yesterday that is. They had stood on the walls, watching the sunrise. For the first time in his life, Faramir had felt like he need not protect the woman that he had met, he only had to treasure her. And that he had done. It was with Eowyn that he had seen the downfall of Sauron and the first light of the seemingly new sun. It had been Eowyn whom he had given his mother' old cloak. And it had been Eowyn who had returned his love, finally. Only yesterday to be precise. He desperately wanted to be with her, but something told him that his cousin wasn't going to let that happen.

"Lothiriel, what is going on?" Faramir asked, he now was a bit amused, but annoyance was there as well: he either wanted to be back at the citadel or he wanted to be walking in the gardens with his beloved.

His answer was a glass of wine that was trusted into his hands. Faramir watched his cousin with amusement as she walked around the room. Twenty years old she was now, youngest child of Prince Imrahil. Ever since her mother died two years ago she had taken over the household at Dol Amroth. From a little girl, 18 years old she had grown into the beautiful woman that was now busying herself with setting the table.

"We will have dinner," Lothiriel said as she looked over her handy work one more time before sitting down, "Just the two of us, we need to talk, Faramir."

Right, talk, that was what she meant to do. Faramir sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "Lothiriel…" he said with another sigh.

"No, Faramir, you need to have a proper dinner and a talk, now eat!" With weary eyes Faramir watched his cousin opposite him eyeing him angrily.

"Alright then," he said, holding his hands up in defeat.

They started to eat in silence and Faramir had no intention to break it. He did not want to talk. His new life was just starting to take shape, as long as he wasn't remembered to often of his father or his brother, things were alright. Yet not much later it was he who broke the silence that had become unbearable. Normally they would have been talking about nonsense, but not since the war had ended.

"Why didn't you and your father go to the Field of Cormallen?"

"Why didn't you?" was his immediate response.

"I had responsibilities here, Lothiriel!"

"Well we did not want to leave you alone here, not after Denethor died."

A silence yet again, this time it was tenser then before. Lothiriel had stopped eating and was staring to her cousin who was ignoring her. Faramir concentrated on his food for a while, but the continued staring of Lothiriel began to become annoying.

"Will you stop that?"

"Will you share your grief?"

Faramir looked up in shock, what had she just said? Share his grief? About what was he suppose to grief? The war had ended and he had found his true love. Yet a voice in the back of his mind said that Lothiriel was right.

He left her question unanswered and stood, walking to the window that looked out over the city. Silence fell once again, but this time it was Lothiriel who had broken it.

"It's hard for us to see you this way, Faramir. You lock yourself up in the citadel and you only come out for occasional visits to the Lady Eowyn," as Faramir was about to ask how she knew this she simply said, "You can't hide things like that from your family." After a short silence she continued. Faramir had turned back to the window as she began her tirade.

"You barely speak to us! The only thing you think is important is the crowning of the new King. And of course this is important, but you are forgetting your own health! Even the lady Eowyn has asked me a couple of times if you take enough rest. Well I can't even answer that question and you are my cousin! For Eru' sake Faramir, what has gotten into you? We noticed that things weren't running so smoothly between you and your father. Are you feeling responsible for his death or what is it?! You can't go on like this! Don't you see you are wearing yourself out?"

A deafening silence fell after Lothiriel tirade. Oh it had been completely out of place, but she wanted to get some reaction from her cousin. He had been distance for days and certainly not like the old Faramir.

"Do you know what it is, cousin?" Faramir voice was distant as he spoke, "Ever since we got the news of Boromir death father has been pushing me away even further then normally. I had nobody to turn to, until you came here with your family. Even then we only had one evening to catch up and I found it selfish of me that we were talking about my grief that evening. You have only lost your mother two years ago and I know that the grief is still near. After that… I was sent to Osgiliath. War consumed me and then, when I was healed again by the new King I started to work as hard as I could, simply to forget the pain for a while…My time spend with Eowyn is wonderful… I… I love her dearly, Lothiriel," his voice had changed, it was warm now and full of emotion; much more like the old Faramir, "But I'm afraid that I'll do something wrong, say a wrong sentence, talk to her about the wrong things. The only time when I allow myself to give into my fears and doubts is at night."

As Faramir turned to face her, Lothiriel could see that he looked haunted. Exhausted was a better word, yet it seemed that Faramir was not ready yet.

"I dive into my work because it keeps me sane. It keeps me away from the grief that is so selfish…I…" Faramir closed his eyes for a moment as he threatened to be overcome by tears. This was the moment where Lothiriel stepped forward and enveloped him in her arms. She was crying herself as she said, "It is not selfish Faramir," she whispered, "Not at all."

The rest of the evening they spend together talking and crying over the loved once that they had lost. Lothiriel had to assure Faramir several times that Denethor had loved his second child, even though he had strange ways to show it. Faramir was glad that she had taken him away from the long counselling hours and time staring at walls.

A knock was heard on the door and Lothiriel went to open it, with a smile she did so and immediately she made a small curtsy, "My lord King, Lady Eowyn, please do enter." Faramir looked up in surprise as he saw Eowyn entering with someone that looked strangely familiar. Of course, it was the new King of Rohan.

This wasn't exactly the state in which he wanted to see Eowyn' brother. His eyes were red and puffy and he and Lothiriel had been drinking quite some wine, so he was a bit tipsy as well.

Luckily he was refrained from speaking for a moment because it was his witless cousin who had opened her mouth first. Only now Faramir noticed that the princes of Dol Amroth was tipsier then him, perhaps it could even be called drunk.

"I'm sorry my lord, my lady, that you find us is such a state, but we have found our comforts in wine for this evening. We had much to discus and I'm glad that it worked out so well. She stumbled over her own feet and the King of Rohan managed to catch her, else she would have fallen flat on her face, "Thank you, My lord," Lothiriel said, still giggling girlishly.

Faramir groaned and rubbed his eyes before he got up, "You have to forgive my cousin, as she has said we have been drinking a bit too much wine."

"That is quite obvious, Faramir," Eowyn said with a slight grin as she looked around the room. 4 empty bottles lay on the floor and Lothiriel had grabbed hold of the fifth and last bottle of the best Gondorian in the Citadel. "Perhaps this is not such a good time to introduce you to my brother, he has only just returned from the field of Cormallen."

Eomer was still awkwardly holding Lothiriel on her feet and now turned to look to Faramir with an impish grin on his face, "I can say that you hold your liquor better then the lady here," and with another grin he added, "Which is a good point." Faramir grinned as well, "I'm glad for that, meet my cousin, Princess Lothiriel of Dol Amroth," he pointed to the young woman that was now leaning comfortably against the King of Rohan who was looking at her bemused. "Princess?"

"Lothiriel, the man against whom you are leaning in Eomer King of Rohan," Faramir said shaking his head slightly at his cousin' behaviour. Lothiriel looked up to the King and grinned, "I know you, you are Eomer and you hate to be treated for your injuries, I didn't know that you were a King as well, if you don't mind I won't bow for you now, for I fear that I will fall over if I try to do such a thing,"

"I think we will retire," It was Eowyn who cut the meeting short.

"I guess we should do the same," Faramir said with a slight laugh as he walked over to Eomer to relief him of his womanly burden.

"Good night and I hope to meet you again tomorrow, when we are sober," Faramir added with a grin.

Eowyn leaned over to him and placed a quick kiss on his mouth which earned them a disapproving glance from the King of Rohan, but luckily he made no comment about it. "Till tomorrow then," Eowyn said as she pulled her brother out of the door. A silence fell as the door closed behind Eomer and Faramir and Lothiriel looked to each other before the collapsed into a fit of laughter.

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_I just might continue, but in the mean time I think that this will suffice!_

_Review Please!_


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